Toxaphene in standard solutions and cleaned biota extracts – results of the first QUASIMEME interlaboratory studies

Two interlaboratory studies on individual toxaphene congeners have been organised by the project Quality Assurance of Information for Marine Environmental Monitoring in Europe (QUASIMEME). Fifteen laboratories analysed two standard solutions in the first study and 13 laboratories analysed a standard solution and two cleaned biota extracts in the second study. The coefficients of variation obtained for the standard solutions were 6–21% and for the cleaned extracts 16–39%. Although the results were comparable to those of other studies, further improvement in the level of agreement between the participating laboratories was considered possible.